Non rusting parts?

[echecsqueen]

Hi. A few screws and brackets on my exterior are rusting. What type of screw or bracket would I replace these with that won't rust? And yes, I realize that 99.9 percent of you think the answer to this is obvious, but it isn't to me. Q

[tirwin]

For some parts it may be hard to find a direct replacement that is made of something that won’t rust. In that case you generally have a few options.

Paint, powder coating or ceramic coating
Plating

Most external nuts and bolts on the 911 are zinc plated. The zinc is a sacrificial layer. It eventually corrodes away but it’s job is to protect the steel underneath.

Plain zinc is silver grey. Yellow zinc has yellow chromate added to give it the yellow color.

[jlex]

Stainless steel screws are available at hardware and big box stores...

[Rawknees'Turbo]

Screws, such as in the second pic, are available in stainless steel at the Ace Hardware near me - if there is one near you, you will likely find a huge, stainless selection there, too.

The simple, rusty bracket in the first pic can be duplicated in stainless . . . make a cardboard template of it, draw it out on a stainless steel sheet (available at Ace, Home Depot, Lowes), cut it out with a Dremel cutoff wheel, shape edges with grinding stone bits and hand files, bend to suit (angle iron held together with a vice, and/or c-clamps, works as a good fixture for bending small parts like that), and then finish/dress the edges with a fine hand file (round files work well for edges - good to have both round and flat files on hand).

[echecsqueen]

Thanks guys....so to clarify....stainless steel doesn't rust? Or does it need to be coated with something. What are regular screws made of ?

[echecsqueen]

Originally Posted by echecsqueen

Thanks guys....so to clarify....stainless steel doesn't rust? Or does it need to be coated with something. What are regular screws made of ?

Also where the corroded screws attach, I can't get the nuts off. They are stuck and I don't want to scratch/mar the finish of the car. Do I use the pb buster blaster stuff and mask the paint off or something else?

[Rawknees'Turbo]

Stainless steel is an alloy metal that does not rust in typical environments (not talking submerged for long periods of time in salt water) - no additional coating needed.

Common screws, such as in your picture, are made of a mild steel (non-stainless alloy) that usually come coated with a light, silver zinc plating that doesn't last long outdoors.

[Rawknees'Turbo]

You can apply the PB Blaster with a small paint brush (spray some on the brush or into a small container, etc.) - no real need to mask anything off then.

[echecsqueen]

Thank you Ronnie,
You are redeeming yourself for the tasteless photo you posted on the other thread

Guess I need to get a dremel, vice and files.

[Rawknees'Turbo]

Originally Posted by echecsqueen

Thank you Ronnie,
You are redeeming yourself for the tasteless photo you posted on the other thread

Guess I need to get a dremel, vice and files.

No need for redemption - I was fine with that harmless photo (must be my thick skin, live and let live, and "it's a big world out there" outlook on life ).

[juanbenae]

Originally Posted by echecsqueen

Also where the corroded screws attach, I can't get the nuts off. They are stuck and I don't want to scratch/mar the finish of the car. Do I use the pb buster blaster stuff and mask the paint off or something else?

I had to grab my glasses and read that twice! I thought I was in another forum I frequent there for a second.. carry on...

rust is everywhere though. hate rust, it's metal cancer ya know.

[McLaren-TAG]

Rust is a four letter word.

[Rawknees'Turbo]

Originally Posted by echecsqueen

. . .

Guess I need to get a dremel, vice and files.

Keep in mind that you can make good future use of those tools making custom engine tins to seal in all the open spaces in your engine bay.

[Tippy]

Stainless won't rust (not totally true, but for the sake of application here), but it's not happy in vibration environments resulting in breakage.

[echecsqueen]

Each tool that I have purchased has been a godsend on the subsequent projects. I certainly have not regretted a purchase of tools. In fact if anything, I wish I had purchased a better one because the use I get out of each item has exponentiated (started from scratch - like didn't even have a screwdriver).

[Puma]

Queenie, to remove rusty screws it’s an exercise in patience. Mask off the area around the screw so you don’t damage paint. Clean the screws where a tool will bite properly with a brass brush as best you possibly can. Dig out the rust. Kroil is the absolute best lubricant. Get some on eBay. Soak the bolt and try to use gravity to your advantage. Let it sit. Oil it several times. Then use the exact right screwdriver/tool. Long screwdrivers are best when access is available. Six sided wrenches are best, those 12 sided wrenches are junk and will ruin your fasteners. Tighten and loosen just a tiny bit. Oil again. Repeat until free.

For replacing bolts and screws get a metric pitch gauge. You lay this little gauge against the threads and it will tell you exactly what thread size you need. In the same section of the hardware store you’ll find a little card used to measure the other dimensions of bolts. Both of these are about ten bucks combined. Very useful.

For your brackets, you can get/make new ones but also realize there’s probably perfectly good metal underneath. Remove the rust and you can paint them, send them out for plating, or buy a plating kit from Caswell and plate things yourself as you go for only a couple hundred dollars. Sending only a few pieces out at a time will cost you a fortune.

[Puma]

Removing rust from bolts/parts is pretty easy. Get some muriatic acid and soak for an absolute maximum of 20 minutes. Wear eye protection and use heavy rubber gloves. Rinse with water. Get a wire wheel on a grinder and run the parts across the wheel until everything is clean. Always hold a clean part with gloves, the oil in your hands will cause it rust again. Hold the part safely under the equator of the wheel with the wheel spinning AWAY from you so it doesn’t fly out of your hands and hit you in the face. Once clean put in an airtight container until you’re ready to paint or plate.

Only do this process with steel.

Hope this helps.

[Puma]

In instances where you won’t damage paint or anything else use heat to Free fasteners. I use a Mapp torch in conjunction with Kroil. It works very well.

[jlex]

Since you're unfamiliar with stainless steel, to test if something is stainless, use a magnet. It won't stick to stainless (or aluminum, brass, copper, zinc, gold, silver or bronze). Sometimes, that's the only way to distinguish it from ordinary (ferrous) metal that can rust.

[echecsqueen]

Thank you Puma and Jlex.

Explains why my magnet isn't any good at fishing some of my screws out of the black holes I drop them in.

Puma, I love the idea of a plating kit - will check that out. Already have the muriatic.